How to Take Apart a Pallet

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Projects involving pallets seem to be everywhere these days. And why not? Pallets are free, have a great rustic look, and can be used in many different ways.

Well, the first time we fished a pallet out of the trash, we realized we had no idea how to take it apart. After some research, we found that a sawzall, or reciprocating saw would do the trick! We bought one and found out it is the perfect tool for this task! We made a video to show you how this process works.

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Step 1: Watch the Video

Step 2: Gather Materials

Materials:

Pallet (these can be found behind businesses, by dumpsters. Craigslist is a great way to find them)

DeWalt Sawzall

12" Blade

Gloves, eye & ear & feet protection

Step 3: Cut the Pallet

Make sure you read the manufacture's instructions before you get started. Once you have all your safety gear on, hold the tool steady and let it do the work.

The long blade really helps when getting into the middle sections.

Step 4: Clean the Boards

Once you're done, a steel bristle brush works well to clean any dirt off the pallet slats. Pallets are a neat material to work with, but just note, that most pallet wood is not straight and level. There are tools that will help take care of that but they are pricey and kind of defeat the purpose of free wood. When we use pallet wood in a project, we embrace the imperfections!

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11 Discussions

If you are going to use a miter saw or a table saw with the wood then you have to get all the nails out, it's easier to use a skil saw and cut the outside braces off, leaving the middle one, and then use a mallet to knock the panels off. Then you don't have nearly as many nails to deal with.

Fair enough, I was asking mainly because I know there are a lot of people who go a bit further in finishing the boards, maybe planing them or cutting them down, or sanding them. You would definitely want to remove the nails for that to avoid damaging your tools.